Click here for the John 10:31-39 PODCAST
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. ~ John 10:31-39
In the middle of the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), when the people consecrated and rededicated the Temple to the Lord, the Lord Jesus tells the people that He was consecrated and set apart by the Father to be the Messiah.
In John 10:31, the Jewish religious leaders are out to get the Lord Jesus once again, and since the Law directed the Jews to put to death anyone claiming to be God, they pick up stones.
Then, in v.32, the Lord Jesus asks them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” With these words, He wisely disarms them in their tracks. Of course, they could not stone Him. And, do not miss the fact that these religious leaders do not negate the fact that He was producing good works.
The Lord Jesus quotes Psalm 82 v.34-36, where He says to the religious leaders, "you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?"
At the end of v.35 there is a great claim for which we should be ever grateful. Notice it. It reads, "—and Scripture cannot be set aside." The word of God cannot be nullified. This means that which is true and substantive, that which we are dependent upon, will endure.
The implications of this are huge, because this is why we have such hope, despite the fact that there are times when our hope looks threatened. We live in a world wherein that which is a lie appears to be winning. God is subtly telling us to hold onto the truth which will not be set aside. We can absolutely trust Him to do what is right for us and those whom we love.
The whole point of Psalm 82 is that earthly judges must act with impartiality and true justice, because even judges must stand someday before the Judge. This is a warning to human authorities that they, too, will be judged. God has appointed men to positions of authority in which they are considered as gods among the people. They are to remember that, even though they are representing God in this world, they are mortal and must eventually give an account to God for how they use that authority.
Here in John 10, the Lord Jesus is claiming to be God by saying He is the Son of God. And, the Jews clearly understood His claim, therefore they wanted to stone Him for blasphemy. Then, in v.37, the Lord Jesus gives these religious leaders evidence for His claim.
In v.37-38, the Lord Jesus brings attention to His ability to do the works of God. He is extraordinary and to ignore Him is to embrace rebellion in the darkness. These religious leaders are fixated on killing Him, and He responds to their absurdity by offering them one more opportunity to believe in Him.
During Hanukkah, the Jews rededicate the Temple to God to celebrate God’s forgiveness. It was a type of the ultimate forgiveness which came in the arrival of the One who was sacrificed on the cross. The cross of Christ is God's way of taking away all of our accusations, excuses, and arguments. “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.” (John Stott) This obviously was the problem for these religious leaders.
Sadly, our text ends with opposition and unbelief. The more the Lord Jesus proved His deity to these religious leaders, the more hard-hearted they became. They simply did not want His light to shine on them or their deeds. They wanted Him to go away and they were prepared to kill Him to make that happen.
Finally, John could have stopped here and turned to the story of Lazarus in chapter 11. But he didn’t. For some reason, the apostle gave another snapshot of the Lord Jesus going back to the Jordan River, to the northeast where many had believed in Him. We will consider tomorrow why this happens.
